Defra says that five years ago, in 1999, around 10,000 horses and ponies were being slaughtered in this country and exported for human consumption.

That figure has dropped to around 7000. However there are still claims from some animal protection groups that Dartmoor ponies are ending up in the human food chain.

Maureen Rolls from South West Equine Protection expressed her concerns at the recent Tavistock Pony Auctions.

Dartmoor Ponies

She said she was worried about the fate of the Dartmoor ponies and thought that many were probably being shipped out to Southern Ireland, then out to the continent for the meat trade.

It's a claim refuted by many of the dealers at the auction, who say that - at around £60 an animal - they were too expensive to be exported as meat in any case.

It's known that some of the ponies are slaughtered in this country and used as feed for the lions at Bristol zoo - but while many said they were buying the animals as pets, some Irish dealers were less willing to answer questions about the ponies' fate.

Defra says it's not illegal to export horses live to the continent for meat, but adds that there's no evidence of such a trade from this country.

It says all horses and ponies have a mimimum value designed to make export for slaughter uneconomic.

And Trading Standards in Southern Ireland said in a statement that they have not had any concerns about Dartmoor ponies brought to their attention.

Watch Janine's report for more on this story.